19 Best Part Time Jobs With Benefits (Updated for Obamacare)

The Affordable Care Act is still the law, so it’s a good time to revisit the possibility of finding a part-time job with benefits.

Prior to the implementation of the health-care mandate, many big-name businesses such as Papa John’s indicated that owners and franchisees would have no economic choice but to reduce employee hours to below the 30-hour per week threshold for offering health insurance mandated by the ACA. That seemed to suggest that finding a part-time job that offered health insurance would become an impossible task after 2014.

While several major companies that once offered health insurance for their part-timers have now dropped that perk, there are still many employers giving benefits to their part-time employees. Here’s the skinny on the employers offering health care coverage:

Best Part Time Jobs With Benefits—Updated for the Implementation of Obamacare

1. Aerotek – This national temp agency offers generous medical benefits to its contracted workers who put in at least 20 hours per week. Medical benefits include dental and vision coverage, and spouses and dependent children are also eligible for the insurance. For a part-timer who needs health coverage for other family members, this would be an excellent employer to join. Check out Aerotek’s benefits page.

2. Chico’s FAS — Chico’s FAS is the umbrella under which you’ll find four clothing retailers: Chico’s, White House Black Market, Soma Intimates, and Boston Proper. If you become a part-time associate at any of these stores, you will be eligible to purchase limited medical, dental, and vision coverage through your employer. Learn more at the Chico’s FAS Benefits page.

3. Cost Plus World Market — This specialty retail store specializes in furniture, décor, wine, craft beer, and international food products. Part-timers who work in the fun and eclectic stores are eligible for a limited benefits plan geared toward preventive care and wellness. See Cost Plus World Market’s benefits page for more information.

4. Costco — Coming to work at one of the Costco Warehouse stores can be a great move, benefits-wise. Part-time employees who average 20 hours per week are eligible for the health benefit plan, as well as a basic dental care plan after 180 days of employment. In addition, most Costco stores have both pharmacies and vision centers, which means employees can use their vision care and drug benefits right at work—and copays on generic drugs can be as low as $5. See Costco’s benefits page for more information.

5. 5/3 Bank — The banking giant offers fairly generous benefits to part-time employees who put in more than 20 hours per week. These benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance, all available to employees after an initial 30-day waiting period. In addition, part-timers are also eligible for “Benefit Choice Dollars”—an additional cash compensation equal to 4% of benefits salary that can be used to offset the cost of elected benefits. Read more about Fifth Third’s benefits in this PDF file.

6. Home Depot — Part-time employees working at this home improvement giant are eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as short-term disability and life insurance. As of 2014, part-time employees are no longer eligible for health insurance. However, Home Depot does offer part-timers a hospital indemnity plan, a critical illness protection plan, dental, vision, and term life insurance. Learn more about Home Depot’s benefits.

7. JP Morgan Chase – This enormous multinational bank is remarkably generous with its part-time employees, starting with the easy-to-meet eligibility requirements: part-time employees for JP Morgan Chase only need to work between 20 and 40 hours per week in order to qualify for benefits, and those benefits are available starting 90 days after the date of hire. The benefits include medical, dental, and vision, use of flexible spending accounts, disability and life insurance, and a 401(k). In addition, after one year of service, all employees may take part in the JP Morgan Chase retirement plan, becoming 100% vested after three years of service. This is truly a bank that wants to take care of its employees. See Chase careers.

Update: While the benefits page of JP Morgan Chase’s website states that benefits are available to part-time employees who work more than 20 hours a week, the site does hedge that promise somewhat by stating “Benefits are subject to on-going review and considerations.”

8. Kaplan – This educational company was once only known for test preparation, but it offers many different career opportunities for a part-timer–from teaching and tutoring to customer service and marketing, from publishing and academic administration to technology and management. While Kaplan’s part-timers are not offered the same benefits as its full-time employees, you are still eligible for a limited medical and dental plan, as well as paid time off, commuter benefits and access to a flexible spending account. Check out Kaplan benefits and perks.

Update: Kaplan now states that part-time employees have access to a third party company that will help them to enroll in a health insurance policy. Basically, it sounds as though Kaplan has hired a company to help its part-timers to navigate the Obamacare insurance exchange.

9. Lands’ End – This socially responsible retailer provides part-time employees with dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as retirement plans. Though it does not offer medical insurance to part-timers, those who work at the Wisconsin headquarters have access to the medical clinic on site. Also, a generous discount at both Lands’ End and Sears is a major perk for employees. See Lands’ End job benefits page.

10. Lowes – The home improvement giant gives its part-time employees access to health, vision, dental, disability and life insurance plans. The health plan is a limited care plan, so it may not cover all the medical needs you may have. However, Lowes also provides vacation accrual for part-timers, as well as 401(k). See Lowes career site.

11. REI – A truly worker-friendly company, the outdoor gear retailer provides benefits for employees who work less than 20 hours a week. These benefits include a part-time health plan, as well as dental, life and disability plans, in addition to incentive pay and a retirement and profit sharing plan. Being a weekend warrior at this store can really pay off. See REI jobs.

Update: REI also wants to help take care of its employees who work less than 20 hours per week. For those employees, the retailer provides “a wealth of materials to guide employees to navigate the health insurance marketplace.”

12. Staples — The office supply store really does try to make things easy, even for its part-time employees. After 90 days of service, all part-time associates are eligible for a fixed benefit health insurance plan. According to the Staples benefits page, the employee contribution is a very reasonable $20.96 per paycheck.

Update: Staples makes clear on their benefits page that the fixed-benefit plan offered to part-time employees is not considered creditable coverage for the purposes of Obamacare, meaning you may need additional coverage to avoid the federal penalty.

13. Starbucks – Becoming a part-time barista at one of the over 16,000 Starbucks locations in the world will not only score you a free pound of coffee per week, but it will also provide you with medical, dental, life and disability insurance. Employees only need to work 240 hours quarterly (just about 20 hours per week) to be eligible. See more about Starbucks benefits.

14. Target – If a red tee shirt is in your part-time future, you will also benefit from a health and dental plan from this chain. An added bonus: your employee discount is good toward your out-of-pocket cost for prescriptions if you fill them in the store. Finally, the company provides a life resources hotline for all employees with access to confidential counseling and support. See Target’s corporate careers site.

Update: Target is one of the big-name companies that officially dropped part-time health insurance in response to the Affordable Care Act. Citing low enrollment in the program and a belief that its part-time workers will be financially better off getting insurance through the exchange, Target eased the transition for current part-time workers by offering a $500 cash payment to every worker who lost coverage.

15. Trader Joe’s – This quirky grocery chain offers medical, dental and vision to part-time employees, as well as paid time off and retirement. See Trader Joe’s careers page.

Update: Trader Joe’s is another major retailer to end its practice of offering health insurance to part-timers. (However, since the grocery retailer defined part-time as anything up to 40 hours per week, any of their “part-time” associates working 30 or more hours per week will still be covered per the rules of Obamacare.) Like Target, Trader Joe’s offered part-time employees who lost coverage a $500 cash payment to help them afford health insurance through the exchange.

16. UPS – In many ways, the United Parcel Service is the ultimate part-time opportunity. Not only does the company regularly hire for seasonal and part-time work, it also offers full benefits to those employees, which in addition to medical and dental coverage also includes tuition assistance. This could be an ideal job for a college student. See the UPS benefits page.

Update: UPS did make news last year when it announced that it would drop medical coverage for some employee spouses. However, there has been no indication that their part-time health insurance benefits will change.

17. USPS — Taking a part-time job with the Post Office means that you are fully eligible for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Since most of the cost of this program is paid by the USPS, your paychecks will go much farther. See the USPS benefits page.

18. Wegmans – This grocery chain is only located in the northeast, but it is a great place to work part-time. The medical insurance for part-time employees includes a prescription plan, and as an employee you are eligible for discounts at health clubs, as well. Holiday pay and 401(k) round out a nice benefits package for part-time employees. See Wegmans job site.

Update: Wegmans will continue to offer health insurance for employees working between 20 and 30 hours per week through the rest of 2014. However, as of January 1, 2015, those benefits will only be available for employees working more than 30 hours per week.

19. Whole Foods Market – The go-to supermarket for natural and organic foods is regularly listed among the 100 best companies to work for, and the benefits package is part of this ranking. Whole Foods offers all employees medical, dental and vision coverage after 400 hours of service-about five months of work at 20 hours per week. In addition, that 400-hour threshold also makes you eligible for life and disability insurance, as well as access to a flexible spending account. One caveat, however: apparently the deductible for the health insurance offered through Whole Foods is over $1500.

Finally, we never heard back from these PR departments: FedEx, WalMart, Safeway, and Macy’s. The information we were able to find on those three employers was not clear enough for us to feel comfortable including them without getting the skinny from the company itself.

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Last Edited: February 5, 2018 @ 1:49 pmThe content of ptmoney.com is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Visitors to ptmoney.com should not act upon the content or information without first seeking appropriate professional advice. In accordance with the latest FTC guidelines, we declare that we have a financial relationship with every company mentioned on this site.

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Comments

Despite what this article says about benefits for part-time UPS “seasonal” employees, such seasonal and temporary UPS employees are not eligible for any benefits whatsoever. You must be a permanent employee (full or part-time) for a period of one year before you’re eligible for benefits. I’ve been a full-time seasonal UPS employee for the last three holiday seasons hoping for a permanent position but it hasn’t happened yet. College students, such as the article mentions, won’t get benefits unless they’re lucky enough to land a permanent position and then wait a year.

NOTE: HOME DEPOT DOES NOT OFFER INSURANCE BENEFITS TO PT WORKERS! I work for HD and I checked. This single bit of misinformation, which appears to be shared by several websites listing companies that offer benefits to PT workers, makes me wonder how reliable the rest of your information is. You should recheck all.

sorry but Staples LLC. is a terrible place to work, they hire you for the back to school season and then fire everyone that wasn’t there through out the year. Thats how it is in indiana. They didnt even let me finish my training.

Part time jobs are great but the truth of the matter is they are not enough, the money is to try and start your own business and share your knowledge in an effort to get paid. I think there is more stability in that space versus trying to work part time for someone else, I am not knocking it because I actually did it, but is always better to create your own opportunity first.

Phil, I owe you a great deal of thanks for posting a list of 10 great places to work at back in August 2011. I browsed the list and was pleased to see that Target was amongst the ten named. Even though I was already working part-time elsewhere, I wasn’t getting the hours nor the benefits. Not being given enough responsibility was also a big player for me to apply at Target.

I was hired almost immediately, and after working at Target for six months, I qualified for health insurance and 401k. I eventually quit my other job since extra work shifts were readily available at Target. I really enjoy working there; it’s very labor intense, but I am so busy there is no time for boredom. My co-workers are wonderful as well. The only drawback is that it’s a long drive (45 minutes on back roads).

So, thanks to you I am gainfully employed, contributing towards my retirement with a great match from the company and also have decent health insurance. Keep up the great work here!

For Kroger’s in Houston, part-timers are eligible for insurance with the catch being you have to be there at least 9 months before enrolling. So far, I’m in my 3rd month and the insurance isn’t bad. The pay leaves something to be desired (A LOT to be desired, lol), but it’s very flexible with school.

At Costco, part -time workers get the same benefit as full time worker. As part time worker, they are required to give an employee at least 20 hours a week. However, they can give you more than 20 hours. And if you call before the day start, and ask to add more hours, there is a chance you’ll get it. There are also limited part-timers who work less than 20 hours or those students that work during school days off, and they too get some benefits. They also keep the hours they have accrued even though they are not coming to work regularly, and when they reach the numbers of hours required they get their raises.

I work for Uhaul and this artical states the truth about Uhaul. One of the best companys to work for in my life. They take care oth their employees and listen to concerns, questions, and requests. You are a VALUABLE part!

I too was surprised to see how many companies offer part time benefits-another great company is Home Depot for benefits, once you are hired as permanent not seasonal you get med dental vis 401k and they are good benefits for myself and my children at anywhere from as little as 12 hours covers my cost

JP Morgan Chase would be a good call for many who want to progress their career or studying money, insurance or finance related matters. The other jobs could help with managing time in stressful workspace!

I had no clue that these companies offered part time benefits. As a matter of fact, in today’s economy I never thought part time benefits would be offered anywhere. Thanks for the article. Great info and I enjoyed reading it.

Many colleges and universities offer benefits to part-timers. I work for the City University of New York, and if you work a certain number of hours, you get health benefits, paid vacation time, sick days, etc.

I used to work at Chase Bank a few years ago. This was a fantastic place to work for just for the benefits alone! I sadly had to resign due to being pregnant. Also, I’m from the Midwest and I’m fairly certain that our larger grocery store chain Meijer offers benefits for part-timers.

I used to work at Chase Bank a few years ago. This was a fantastic place to work for just for the benefits alone! I sadly had to resign due to being pregnant. Also, I’m from the Midwest and I’m fairly certain that our larger grocery store chain Meijer offers benefits for part-timers.

Having worked with many Nordstrom employees, this is a tough organization to just work at for benefits. There is a strong culture that many can’t handle, but that others thrive in. Their strong culture I believe is the key in their excellent customer service record.

I enjoyed working part-time at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service during tax season a few years ago. I learned a lot about taxes, tax laws, tax forms & how people are willing to give up huge chunks of their refund to get their money faster (Refund Anticipation Loans). Also- they gave pretty good bonuses for productivity (at least where I worked).

It’s nice to see so many companies offering even part-timers some great benefits! I’m considering adding some part time work to supplement my income, and it would be great to have medical and dental coverage as a perk!

I have a friend who works at Barnes. He confirmed that part-time benefits will be phased out for ALL p/t workers, even those currently “Grandfathered” in for p/t/ benefits, by 2014 (at the latest.) Pay is quite awful too, esp after taxes. Unless you adore books, it’s just not worth working there.

I know someone who works at Barnes & Nobles right now. He confirmed that B&N is phasing out part-time benefits. Some long-time workers are still “grandfathered” in but ALL part-time health benefits will be phased out completely by 2014 (at the latest) – even for those “grandfathered” in. Plus, the pay is quite mediocre. Unless you adore books – it’s just not working there.

I’ve heard that Starbucks is a great place to work – and free coffee, you can’t beat that! Part time jobs are great – they allow you to diversify your income and ensure that if you lose one job, you have another one to back you up. Thanks for the great article. 🙂

Does anyone know what insurance carriers or employment services these companies use? I would love to look into offering health insurance to my part tome employees, but my current employment services company does not offer this.

Part time jobs are most important for student. It develop our skills and make us perfect for future life.It also important for mother.Because they need to spend time in their kids .So if they do full time work that means they have not spend enough time of their children.In this if they do part time jobs ,they earn some handsome money for her familly and also most importantly they spend few time of her kids.

At UPS part time employees get health, life, dental, and vision that covers their entire immediate family , and a generous defined benefit pension plan ALL 100% company paid. The current health insurance is $10 office visit, then pays 100% with no deductible in network. Part time employees can retire after 25 years.

You forgot to add COSTCO Wholesale. Medical, dental, vision ($150 credit towards eye wear each year), 401k, stock options, and Care Network ( smoking cessation, family and personal counseling, and discounted babysitting) are available for part timers. I have been with this company for almost 3 years and have loved every minute of it.

Thanks Emily! In a past few months I haven’t find any blog with this theme. This blogs work like an accelerator for those who are job less and need to pay their debts. As well as those who wants to earn extra money. You have listed some well known groups here. Great Job! Keep it up…

@20 and Engaged–I worked for Barnes & Noble for 4 years off and on after college. Based on my experience, they are always looking for closers. If you have some kind of English/book/library background, that will really help with getting your application noticed. Also, once I had worked there once, they were ALWAYS happy to hire me back, even at different locations. It really is a good place to work, but do be careful of the book discount! There were some months where my take home seemed to entirely be books I couldn’t live without. 🙂 @Jessica–I know exactly what you mean! Compiling this list really made me want to get out into the paid workforce, particularly for REI. It would feel great to be a part of a company that takes its social responsibilities seriously. Perhaps once my peanut is old enough for school, I’ll look more seriously into supplementing my writing with work for one of these companies.

McLean Hospital, part of the Partners Healthcare system in the Boston Area, is a private psychiatric hospital that offers health insurance and paid time off from 16 hours to 40 hours. If you want to work part-time in the mental health field, it is great experience for college students or graduate students interested in learning about counseling and pyschiatry. Not for the faint of heart though!

@20 and Engaged–I worked for Barnes & Noble for 4 years off and on after college. Based on my experience, they are always looking for closers. If you have some kind of English/book/library background, that will really help with getting your application noticed. Also, once I had worked there once, they were ALWAYS happy to hire me back, even at different locations. It really is a good place to work, but do be careful of the book discount! There were some months where my take home seemed to entirely be books I couldn’t live without. 🙂

@Jessica–I know exactly what you mean! Compiling this list really made me want to get out into the paid workforce, particularly for REI. It would feel great to be a part of a company that takes its social responsibilities seriously. Perhaps once my peanut is old enough for school, I’ll look more seriously into supplementing my writing with work for one of these companies.

You had me at Starbucks! This is such great information. These employers are going to be swamped with applications. This would be the perfect way for a blogger to get the benefits they want while still enjoying a good chunk of the freedom lifestyle them have come to enjoy. Many of these employers are already sought after for their work atmospheres, regardless of benefits. Might be tough to get in!

I would love to work part time at Barnes & Noble. There’s one across the street from my job; I wonder if they’re hiring for nights. That could be extra money towards my debt, but more time away from the mister :-

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The content of ptmoney.com is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Visitors to ptmoney.com should not act upon the content or information without first seeking appropriate professional advice.